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Let’s start with the health of your database. One of the most overlooked factors affecting your deliverability is your data. You can spin up as many new, innovative campaigns as you want, but it won’t make a difference if you can’t reach people. So how healthy is your database? Has it been updated recently? Do you have processes in place to continuously update the data? If you are capturing new data effectively and purging the database of invalid emails, you will see your deliverability increase because you won’t be repeatedly sending to nonexistent accounts and ruining your organization’s email domain’s status on big Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

This leads us to segmentation. Who are you sending your emails to? It’s worth the time to personalize your emails for a targeted audience. In fact, with all the technology available today, this should be a given. Sending large blanket communications may be quick, but it won’t produce the best results and could lead to repeatedly emailing outdated contacts in your database. Send emails to targeted groups based on when they last engaged, what their recent activities were, and who they are. Furthermore, you can start tracking a passion score to better predict an individual’s level of passion for a cause and see who will be more likely to donate. Then tailor messaging accordingly.

Now, let’s talk about content and frequency. When it comes to emailing, less is more! Consider what’s in it for your audience. Don’t always ask them to do something for you (donate, buy, subscribe, support, etc.). This may lead people to unsubscribe. Be sure to include thought leadership material that shares success stories, teaches them something, furthers the cause they care about, or helps build a relationship with them.

Last, I want to share some other tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way. Track bounces and unsubscribe rates, so you can identify what is causing spikes. Remove subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked an email in more than 12 months. Their information could be out of date. Finally, give subscribers options on how to receive information from you by building a subscription management center.

Nonprofit emails are among the most important in the world (literally!), so let’s make sure people are getting them.